***This review may contain minor spoilers***
Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
The newest spinoff in the Star Trek franchise, “Star Trek: Picard” takes our beloved Captain (and some new and old friends), through a depressing mystery that is ultimately betrayed by the show’s greatest strength and greatest weakness: nostalgia.
The plot itself is a solid concept. Retired Admiral Picard must assemble a motley crew to save a young woman with connections to the late Lt. Commander Data before she’s the latest casualty of a vast conspiracy. However, the execution is lacking. It takes a while for things to get moving, and with only ten episodes to work with, that doesn’t leave much time for the actual mission. And even that becomes lackluster pretty quickly. The fact that the audience knows what’s going on with the damsel in distress makes it feel like both main storylines are spinning in circles. Soji’s story seems to mostly inch along in the background until Picard’s story finally catches up to it. And when we finally get to the payoff, it’s not really worth it. Not only is the destination kind of a dead end, but all the miserable characters make the journey a bit of a headache.
First of all, we’re supposed to be rooting for Picard, but almost everyone we meet is either mad at him or just indifferent. This makes them immediately unlikable. And, they all have a ton of baggage that just makes them come off like wet blankets. The way that all their stories ultimately get tied together feels too convenient. Captain Rios is fine, just the stereotypical rogue that acts like he only cares about himself. Raffi does her best to be even more self-hating that Rios, but she isn’t fleshed out enough to give her much of a character arc. Dr. Agnes is the most likable of the crew, but she takes one too many 180’s, going from cute and bubbly, to dark and murderous, and back again in a matter of episodes. Elnor has a lot of potential initially as the badass assassin with a childlike wonder. But, he comes in way too late in the show and then gets separated from the crew for too long to allow him to really contribute. The main villains are fine. They get the job done but are mostly forgettable. As far as the star of the show, Picard himself is a mixed-bag. While it’s interesting at first to see a Picard that’s not even close to the top of his game, he never really recaptures the magic that made him such a great character for all those years. As good as he was in his prime, he was always supported by an amazing crew…something he never quite gets here.
As far as that legendary crew, don’t expect more than the cameos that were shown in the trailers. Most of what we do get works amazingly, but that exposes the show’s nostalgia issue. The concept of taking such a fan-favorite character and putting them into a new setting is dicey to begin with. But, there’s an obligation to squeeze in tons of fan-service for those who loved “The Next Generation.” Some of this is necessary to the plot, the rest is there just to make fans happy. Unfortunately, all it does is make you miss the old cast and crew that much more. Especially when the new team isn’t living up to expectations.
The first season of “Star Trek: Picard” takes a solid story, and muddies it up with weak executions and an unsatisfying ending. The much-loved Jean-Luc Picard is a shell of himself, and is supported by an even sadder group of misfits. A few more episodes to delve into the backstories could’ve really fleshed them out, but the short season only leaves time for the main plot and not much more.
** out of *****